Effective communication is important in any industry, but perhaps most important in health care. Making contact with others and obtaining information and advice can be vital when patient welfare is at stake.

Yet communication within the health care system remains out dated and inefficient in many circumstances. In the hospital environment for example, memos, switchboards and pagers remain the norm. Outside of hospitals, the devolution of decision-making powers to local health authorities has made communication between providers even harder, as different systems and practices have developed.

While communication can be an extremely frustrating issue for those working within health care, there is one group suffers most from inefficient communication: patients.